September 2024

Throughout the week of September 9th- September 13th, RCPS celebrated National Arts in Education Week by showcasing photos of students engaging in our fine arts programs.

RCPS is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15th thru Oct. 15th. Check out our FB page to see previous and upcoming posts that share facts, activities, and community events.

Photos courtesy of Martina Bullard

A new scratch-made, student-choice menu item debuted on the RCES menu on Sept. 12th! Previously, the students had a chance to sample and share their feedback about a tasty Pumpkin Spiced French Toast Casserole. After a resounding approval from the kids, the hard-working cafeteria team baked large batches of the scratch-made casserole and served it as a lunch entrée.

Photo by Holly Jenkins

During the regularly scheduled meeting of the Rappahannock County School Board on September 10th, Bobby Baldwin was presented with a signed resolution honoring his over twenty years of remarkable service as a custodian.

Photo by Holly Jenkins

Earlier this month, Ms. Waterbury visited Ms. Montague's PreK class to teach an SEL lesson about emotions and feelings. After discussing emotions, they made an 'emotion' soup out of all the different feelings.

Photo by Tiffany Montague

The highly-anticipated Peer Mentor Reveal Party introduced 8th grade students to the junior and senior mentors through a series of playful team-building challenges. The mentors and mentees will meet monthly; stay tuned for future fun-filled activities!

Photo by Holly Jenkins

During a Community Conversations event on Sept. 19th, attendees gathered to watch a live-streamed conversation and discuss the impact of cell phones and social media on students. Facilitated by Dr. Boynton, the audience engaged in an insightful discussion, which included valuable information from Detective Garcia regarding online predators. Check out the conversation between the First Lady of Virginia Suzanne S. Youngkin and Dr. Jonathan Haidt in the video section of this newsletter.

Photos by Holly Jenkins

Reading is fun! An elementary school student prepares to check out a library book to learn about deer hunting.

Photo by Holly Jenkins

A happy student shared a thumbs up for the Harvest of the Month recipe, Cowboy Caviar. Ms. Mallory Grady and Commit to Be Fit shared a tasty salsa that incorporated bell peppers.

Photo by Holly Jenkins

Recently, the class of 2025 engaged in the Governor’s High School Voter Registration Challenge. Rappahannock County’s Voter Registrar, Kim McKiernan, spoke to all seniors about the voting process and supported future voters in registering on-site. Any interested seniors who missed this opportunity should see Mrs. Pond for assistance.

Photo by Dani Pond

This month, third grade students created fall tree collages using different size pieces of paper in STEAM.

Photo by Bethany Cubbage

Ms. Waters' EMS & Health Care Professions students had the opportunity to experience what it's like to be a firefighter on Sept. 20th. The Sperryville Volunteer Fire Department came out to assist with the class and allowed the students to practice basic fire ground operations.

Photo by Kat Waters

Ms. Todd's students had a great time practicing their spelling words in shaving cream on Friday, September 20th.

Photo by Katherine Todd

Two students exchange high-fives during the partner sprints drill in Ms. Williams' PE class .

Photo by Holly Jenkins

Ms. Hummill's science class has been studying adaptations. On Sept. 23rd, the students participated in a fun, hands-on bird beak lab, experimenting with different items that imitated bird beaks. They had a blast attempting to pick up food and other items resembling things that birds eat.
Photos by Jordan Hummill

Following a successful portfolio assessment, Ms. Sheila Lamb's World History I class wrote short stories or created graphic novel posters depicting the main events of the Trojan War.

Photos by Holly Jenkins

Kindergarten students went on a field trip to Graves Mountain Farm. They went on a hay ride and got apples and pumpkins.

Photo by Kelly Estes

On Sept. 19th, senior Hugh Garner addressed the student body about his year in Germany as part of the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange program. The RCHS students attentively listened as he recounted his experiences with cultural and language immersion.

Photo by Dani Pond

Mrs. Curry's Digital Applications II class made quick work of the MOS Word 2019 Associate exam. All four students successfully earned this prestigious CTE Credential and are ready to tackle any word processing assignments that come their way. Congratulations, Addie Hubble, Nolan Brown, Xavier Todd, and Chase Clark.

Photo by Sarah Beth Curry

Congratulations to our Jr. Panthers of the Month! This month’s students were selected by their teachers for demonstrating good citizenship and leadership amongst their peers. In celebration of their achievement, students were treated to a special recognition luncheon with Ms. Wissinger and Ms. Lowe-Barton.

Pre-K- Bristol Lee and Kendall Lee

K- Keira Clement, Huntly Hahn, Finley McPeak, and Morgan Smith

1st- Freya McPeak, Colt Gosnall, and Lila Crouse

2nd- Isabel Choi, Colbie Troilo, and Annie-Lynn Brown

3rd- Jaziah Royal, Hayden Bumgardner, and Isabella Cairnes

4th- Joanna Ruiz-Bayly, Jason Moya, and Mickey Hatfield

5th- Cameron Seward, Madison Himmighoefer, and Olivia Reid

6th- Parker Weinberg, Presley Eggers, and Zane Brown

7th- Serenity Leake, Harper Brown, and Aleeya Cooper

We recently asked for volunteers to help us by taking photos of each of the different sports. We were THRILLED to have so many parents and fans sign-up to share photos with us. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE that has helped us showcase our hardworking student-athletes!! Check out a few of the many awesome contributed photos above.

If you missed our Community Conversations event last week, check out the recorded video of the Fireside Chat portion featuring the First Lady of Virginia and Dr. Haidt as they discuss the impact of cell phones and social media on students in and out of schools. To view, click the video below or visit our Parent U page at https://www.rappahannockschools.us/parentu

Check out the upcoming events calendar, your one-stop place to view RCPS' community events and more! To view, CLICK HERE or visit our district website and click "Happenings and Highlights," now under the CALENDAR tab.

RCPS will closed on Monday, October 14th, in observance of the holiday. The following day, Tuesday, October 15th, we invited families to join us for Parent/Teacher Conferences. There will be no school for students.

Mark your calendars! The RCHS 2024 Fall Concert will be held on October 22nd at 6:30 pm in the RCHS Auditorium. We hope you can join us for a fantastic performance featuring the phenomenal talents of the RCHS Bands.

Mark your calendars for the third annual Headwaters Harvest Festival, which will take place on October 5, 2024 at Rappahannock County Elementary School. This year, the event will showcase student projects. Come out out for a fun-filled day from 11 am- 5 pm.

Parents/Guardians—Leaving work is not always easy if your child gets sick at school. Telehealth makes it easier. With your consent, the clinic nurse, Ms. Prince, will be able to use video telehealth technology to connect your child with a provider at Valley Health. In most cases, your child can be diagnosed without leaving school or you having to leave work.

Conditions treated include asthma, allergies, cough, colds, flu, ear aches, sore throats, fever, headache, head lice, pink eye, skin irritations, and more.

The clinic is available to all students in grades PreK-12 with parental consent, as well as available to RCPS staff. The necessary paperwork can be found HERE. To speak with Ms. Prince at the clinic, please call 540-227-0200.

Through a PATH Foundation grant, Commit to Be Fit is thrilled to continue the POP (Power of Produce) Bucks program to provide access to local food and support our local 2024 Farmers Market season. EVERY RCPS student has the opportunity to redeem a POP Bucks Market Bag filled with local produce, protein, and bread. Plus, each bag includes TWO $5 tokens to redeem at participating market vendors. SIGN-UP IS REQUIRED and is limited to 25 students per week (first come, first serve). To sign up, visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc41bZx2QEpJ_6ysM3r8H2FYRZZ7O6J2NIlkzximyGl7NIrIQ/viewform or on our website at https://www.rappc2bf.com/pop-bucks

To sign up for Behind the Wheel, visit

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccnKHX9tDOU1oY45Az8kkTVnkvWGYTEU4sKqIyz0RG02rxwg/viewform

For more information, please contact Ms. Fox at efox@rappahannockschools.us.

Want to help us further enhance our communications? Join the Communications Committee! We are looking from insight from our families, community, staff, and students to further strengthen our communication processes at RCPS. To learn more, email hjenkins@rappahannockschools.us.

To view the list of helpful mental health and wellness resources for students and families, CLICK HERE.

Website: www.rappahannockschools.us
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rappahannockcountypublicschools
Instagram: www.instagram.com/_rcps_

Email: info@rappahannockschools.us

To view a helpful list of our communications channels, CLICK HERE.